Over the 5+ decades that Disney World has been open, they have planned and even announced many attractions and updates to the parks that didn’t ever get built. These are some of the abandoned Disney World attractions that never happened and likely never will.
Mary Poppins Ride
At D23 in 2019 Disney had Dick Van Dyke announce that a Mary Poppins ride was coming to the UK Pavilion in EPCOT. Fans were so excited for this and thought it fit in very nicely. It was going to be an indoor tea cups ride. The project got postponed and hasn’t been talked about since.
Play Pavilion
In 2019 Disney announced that Wonders of Life in EPCOT was going to be changed to Play Pavilion. Disney said it was an “interactive futuristic city where guests would be able to interact with a variety of Disney characters”. They were going to have Edna Mode teach you how to draw, a game hosted by Zootopia characters, a water balloon video game, and more. The project was paused, then in 2023 Disney said it was being reevaluated and it is still empty.
World Showcase Pavilions
EPCOT has had many announcements for new pavilions over the years. This includes Brazil, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, Costa Rica, Equatorial Africa, Soviet Union, Spain, and Switzerland. They were canceled due to political and financial reasons though. The last time a new pavilion opened in EPCOT was Norway in 1988, so it’s been quite a while. Switzerland would have been a cool one because it was in the plans for it to have its own version of Matterhorn, like at Disneyland.
Great Muppet Movie Ride
Hollywood Studios was going to get Muppet Studios, which was a whole Muppets land designed by Jim Henson and Disney. Plans included Muppet*Vision 3D, a Muppet stage show, character meet-and-greets, two Muppet restaurants, and a Great Muppet Movie Ride. The Great Muppet Movie ride never happened though. Muppet*Vision 3D opened, but has closed since. Read about more permanently closed Disney World rides here.
Spaceship Earth Refurbishment
In 2019 it was announced that Spaceship Earth would be reimagined and undergo a large refurbishment. It was going to be “updated with a new narrative about the human experience and the art of storytelling”. The project was eventually ditched and Disney hasn’t talked about it since. Read about more rides Disney announced and never built here.